The present application claims priority to European Patent Application EP 00 105 569.8, filed Mar. 16, 2000.
The invention relates to a food cooler for the cooling, in particular deep freezing, of essentially flat and/or barlike foods produced as moldings, with a refrigerating space and with a conveyor belt for conveying the foods through this refrigerating space, the conveyor belt being assigned holding devices for the moldings.
Food coolers of the type initially mentioned are known from prior public use, in which foods to be deep-frozen are laid onto a conveyor belt and are conveyed through the refrigerating space.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,254,420 discloses a food freezer with baskets arranged on a conveyor belt for the deep freezing of whole poultry bodies. The length of the baskets corresponds approximately to the greatest extent of the poultry bodies. U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,540 discloses a cooling appliance for the deep freezing of foods by means of refrigerating gas, in which holding devices for the foods are provided in the form of plate elements arranged approximately perpendicularly to the conveyor belt. The food reception spaces thereby obtained are delimited upwardly by a housing. The height of the holding plates corresponds approximately to the distance between them.
The object of the invention is to provide a food cooler of the type initially mentioned, in which the cooling operation proceeds more quickly and/or more efficiently.
The invention achieves this object in that the holding devices are designed for the defined holding of the moldings on the conveyor belt in a position inclined at at least 45xc2x0 to upright.
The present invention provides food coolers for the cooling, in particular deep freezing, of essentially flat and/or barlike foods produced as moldings (3), with a refrigerating space (1) and with a conveyor belt (2) for conveying the foods through this refrigerating space (1), the conveyor belt (2) being assigned holding devices (6) for the moldings (3), wherein the holding devices (6) are designed for the defined holding of the moldings (3) on the conveyor belt (2) in a position inclined at at least 45xc2x0 to upright. In some embodiments, the holding devices (6) are arranged with a spacing from one another which is smaller than the average extent of a molding (3) to be frozen. In alternative embodiments, the holding devices (6) are arranged with a spacing from one another which corresponds to the thickness of a molding (3) to be frozen, plus a clearance of at most 5 cm, preferably at most 3 cm, preferably at most 0.5 cm. In still further embodiments, the holding devices (6) are suitable for supporting the moldings (3) in a region which is at a distance from the lowest point of the moldings which corresponds to 50 to 100%, preferably 60 to 75%, of the molding width or molding height. In some preferred embodiments, the holding devices (6) comprise at least one holding rod (8) which extends approximately parallel to the conveyor belt. In additional embodiments, the holding devices (6) are gridlike. In some particularly preferred embodiments, the holding devices (6, 12) have compartments for receiving food bodies. In further embodiments, a precooling stage (13) for precooling or prefreezing food bodies (3) is provided.